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NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Jill Lewis (“Lewis”), age 40, resident of Slidell, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on July 21, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of her involvement in a postal fraud scheme.

According to today’s guilty plea, beginning on or before January 31, 2014, through in or around January 2016, Lewis and a co-conspirator conspired to submit numerous false insurance claims for reimbursement to the United States Postal Service (“USPS”), causing the USPS to mail checks to Lewis and a co-conspirator for approximately $42,000. For example, Lewis and a co-conspirator falsely represented to the USPS that they had sent expensive jewelry and other items through the mail and that the USPS lost the items. In connection with the false claims, Lewis and a co-conspirator submitted forged invoices from retailers to the USPS to support the reimbursement amounts. The false claims and forged documents caused the USPS to send the reimbursement checks to Lewis and a co-conspirator through the mail.

Lewis faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. After any term of imprisonment that may be imposed, Lewis also faces a term of supervised release of up to (3) three years. Per the terms of the plea, restitution to the USPS in the amount of approximately $42,749.74 is owed.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2021 before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, for its work in investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh.